Invisible Death

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Invisible Death
Invisible Death.jpg
Cover of first edition
Author Lin Carter
Cover artistTim Lewis
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesZarkon series
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
1975
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pagesxii, 173
ISBN 0-385-08768-3
Preceded by The Nemesis of Evil  
Followed by The Volcano Ogre  

Invisible Death is a science fiction novel by American writer Lin Carter, the second in his "Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown" series. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in November 1975, with a paperback edition following from Popular Library in July 1978. It was reissued by Wildside Press in December 1999. An ebook edition was issued by Thunderchild Publishing in September 2017. [1]

Contents

Summary

Rich, powerful and wealthy members of society are being struck down, one after another, without a clue as to how. Only Prince Zarkon and his Omega Crew can hope to resolve the mystery and end the terror, which turns out to be perpetrated by the Grim Reaper, a supervillain who broadcasts death over the radio to the millionaires who won't pay his price.

Reception

Robert M. Price characterizes the Zarkon series as "five delightful novels ... Lin Carter's loving homage to Doc Savage and his creator Lester Dent." They celebrate "'the gloriously fourth-rate,' the pulps, radio, comics, and movies he loved as a kid." He notes that "[t]he novels manage quite successfully to walk the tightrope between salute and parody," and "the humor never seems to impede or undermine the action." While "[i]t is not difficult to pick out a flaw here and there" and the series is "not entirely free from Carter's later-career sloppiness ... on the whole these books are vastly superior to much of what else he was writing during the same period. The Zarkon novels all command a crisp, snappy prose, sometimes reminiscent of Lester Dent's." [2]

The book was also reviewed by W. N. MacPherson in The Science Fiction Review Monthly, December 1975. [1]

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<i>Thongor of Lemuria</i>

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<i>The Wizard of Lemuria</i>

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<i>The Warrior of Worlds End</i>

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<i>Giant of Worlds End</i>

Giant of World's End is a fantasy novel written by Lin Carter set on a decadent far-future Earth in which all the world's land masses have supposedly drifted back together to form a last supercontinent called Gondwane. The book is chronologically the last in Carter's Gondwane Epic, five prequel novels set earlier in time being issued later. It was first published in paperback by Belmont Books in February 1969. The first British edition was issued in paperback by Five Star in 1972. The book has been translated into Polish.

<i>The Nemesis of Evil</i> 1975 novel by Lin Carter

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<i>The Earth-Shaker</i> 1982 novel by Lin Carter

The Earth-Shaker is a science fiction novel by American writer Lin Carter, the fourth in his "Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown" series. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in July 1982. An ebook edition was issued by Thunderchild Publishing in November 2017.

<i>The Volcano Ogre</i> 1976 novel by Lin Carter

The Volcano Ogre is a science fiction novel by American writer Lin Carter, the third his "Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown" series. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1976, with a paperback edition following from Popular Library in November 1978. It was reissued by Wildside Press in 1999. An ebook edition was issued by Thunderchild Publishing in October 2017.

<i>Horror Wears Blue</i> 1987 novel by Lin Carter

Horror Wears Blue is a science fiction novel by American writer Lin Carter, the fifth and last in his "Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown" series. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in November 1987. An ebook edition was issued by Thunderchild Publishing in December 2017.

<i>Thongor Against the Gods</i> 1967 fantasy novel by Lin Carter

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<i>Thongor in the City of Magicians</i>

Thongor in the City of Magicians is a fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter, the fourth book of his Thongor series set on the mythical continent of Lemuria. It was first published in paperback by Paperback Library in April 1968, and reissued by Warner Books in October 1979. The first British edition was published in paperback by Tandem in January 1970, and reprinted in March 1973. The book has been translated into Japanese and French.

<i>The Enchantress of Worlds End</i>

The Enchantress of World's End is a fantasy by American writer Lin Carter, set on a decadent far-future Earth in which all the world's land masses have supposedly drifted back together to form a last supercontinent called Gondwane. The book is chronologically the second in Carter's Gondwane Epic. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in May 1975, and reprinted in May 1977. A trade paperback edition was published by Wildside Press in January 2001 and an ebook edition by Thunderchild Publishing in January 2019. The book includes a map by the author of the portion of Gondwane in which its story is set and "A Glossary of Unfamiliar Names and Terms" by the author.

<i>The Immortal of Worlds End</i>

The Immortal of World's End is a fantasy by American writer Lin Carter, set on a decadent far-future Earth in which all the world's land masses have supposedly drifted back together to form a last supercontinent called Gondwane. The book is chronologically the third in Carter's Gondwane Epic. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in September 1976, and reprinted in May 1977. A trade paperback edition was published by Wildside Press in January 2001 and an ebook edition by Thunderchild Publishing in February 2019. The book includes a map of the portion of Gondwane in which its story is set and "A Glossary of Places Mentioned in the Text" by the author.

<i>The Pirate of Worlds End</i>

The Pirate of World's End is a fantasy by American writer Lin Carter, set on a decadent far-future Earth in which all the world's land masses have supposedly drifted back together to form a last supercontinent called Gondwane. The book is chronologically the fifth in Carter's Gondwane Epic. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in October 1978. A trade paperback edition was published by Wildside Press in January 2001 and an ebook edition by Thunderchild Publishing in July 2019. The book includes "A Glossary of Places Mentioned in the Text" by the author.

<i>Dragonrouge</i>

Dragonrouge: Further Adventures in Terra Magica is a fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter, the second in his series about the fictional "Flat Earth" of Terra Magica. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in December 1984. A trade paperback edition was published by Wildside Press in 2001, with an ebook edition following from Gateway/Orion in February 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 Invisible Death title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  2. Price, Robert M. Lin Carter: A Look Behind His Imaginary Worlds. Mercer Island, WA, Starmont House, 1991, pages 75-79.